


Sink or Swim

by LaurytheLatrator



Series: Hiccup Haddock and the Triwizard Tournament [2]
Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010), The Big Four - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/M, Harry Potter AU, Triwizard Tournament
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-18
Updated: 2014-01-18
Packaged: 2018-01-09 04:40:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1141560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaurytheLatrator/pseuds/LaurytheLatrator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The second task is upon him, and Hiccup must save his friends and make it out alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sink or Swim

**Author's Note:**

> The second written oneshot in my series of RotBTD Triwizard AU. Takes place chronologically after Chomping at the Bit.

If Merida hadn’t pushed him into the lake when he'd been brooding over the screeching egg, he’d never have figured out its clue. He was doubly grateful for the push she gave him when he was hesitating, or he’d never have dived in.

 

The invention Hiccup devised was Rapunzel’s idea. With Jack’s help, Hiccup had found a Muggle snorkel. Of course, it was rather useless for going deep. That was, until they’d found the spell for continuous autonomous transfiguration. Given a small enough sample (the thin tube of the snorkel) Rapunzel and Hiccup set it up to turn water into air. Complicated magic, but they were the two best students of the sixth years. Sure, the whole school laughed seeing him standing at the platform with a little Muggle toy, but it was a solid idea. Problem was, they hadn't had time to test it. Hiccup guessed it must've worked, because he was surrounded by water and breathing in air through a plastic tube, but it was a bizarre experience.

 

As Hiccup watched the two other champions disappear through the murky water, he realized what a disadvantage he had. This was the first task to have such a stark physical component. He’d never been a strong swimmer to begin with, despite living on the coast. He’d never noticed the drag his prosthetic limb had in water. An hour seemed an interminable amount of time. But the mermaids had something he wanted, apparently, so Hiccup extended his legs, clamped a hand over the snorkel, and set off swimming.

 

It took a while to see anything besides the wide expanse of water. How had he never known how big the Hogwarts lake was? Hiccup sank to the lake bed and skimmed through the reeds. He thought he could hear laughter through the water pressing at his eardrums. It set his teeth on edge, and he pushed faster.

 

Suddenly he stopped in place, as something tugged on his left leg. Hiccup looked behind him in alarm to see three Grindylows gripping his prosthetic. They were dragging it towards them, and the binding was digging painfully into his skin. It hurt, the prosthetic being forced to separate from the stump. Hiccup tried to shake them off, but the three of them were too strong, or maybe his leg too weak. Flailing his other leg, he managed to kick one in the head, the Grindylow letting go and sinking to the lakebed. He tried to hit the others, but now that they saw it coming, the Grindylows were able to evade him. The two were enough to make him desperate. Hiccup reached down and tugged on the binding. The bandages unraveled, and the Grindylows were left holding one metal leg, but no Hiccup. Free, he swam quickly away, rising a safer distance above the reeds.

 

By the time the mermaid’s settlement came into view, Hiccup was already aching. His arm and leg muscles were burning, and he drew more frequent puffs of breath. It felt unnatural to be without the prosthetic, to feel water pressing in on the empty space. Hiccup wasn't quite sure how he was going to make it back out of the lake, but he’d deal with it when the time came.

 

As he passed through the stone houses on the lakebed, Hiccup was surprised to see no mermaids. The town looked deserted. That was, until he reached the town’s center. He could see a huge trident statue, and on two of the prongs, there were unconscious people bound by ropes. Hiccup hurried towards them, and felt fear trickle down his spine when he recognized both of them. Astrid’s blond braid hung down over her face, but he’d spent so much time watching it swing as she walked by, he’d know it anywhere. And Hiccup had never met another person with snowy white hair like Jack Frost.

 

There were tattered ropes on the other trident prong, so Hiccup surmised that another person had already been freed. Three victims for three Champions. But that meant either Astrid or Jack were supposed to be for someone else. Who was he supposed to save, his sort of haven't-talked-about-it girlfriend, or one of his best friends?

 

As Hiccup tread water, trying to figure out what to do, he noticed a commotion on the lakebed. A group of mermaids were clustered not far away. From the way they were moving and the noises they made, Hiccup could tell they were distressed. Torn for a moment, Hiccup gazed at Astrid’s peaceful expression. She and Jack could sleep for a few more minutes. He turned away from them and swam over to the mermaids.

 

One of them noticed his approach, and shouted indecipherably to alert the others. Now he saw them clearly, ’mermaids’ didn’t seem appropriate; there were no obvious signs of gender. As Hiccup neared, four spears were thrust his way by four snarling scaled faces. He raised his hands placatingly. Peering around them, Hiccup saw what all the commotion was about. A merperson was lying in the mud and sand, blood oozing out of them and staining the water. The wounds were bound with seaweed, and one merperson was applying pressure, but still the victim bled. Hiccup’s eyes widened; it didn't look like the merperson would make it.

 

Hiccup looked to the merpeople protecting the scene. He drew his wand from the back of his soggy trousers and they immediately snarled. Hiccup shook his head, wishing he’d devised a method for breathing underwater that allowed him to speak. He pointed behind them to the dying merperson and waved his wand gently. They still looked wary, and the spears did not drop.

 

Hiccup looked around, hoping for some solution. An idea occurred to him when he saw a sharp rock on the lakebed. Hiccup picked it up and, with a wince, he cut his own palm. The merpeople watched him in open confusion. Hiccup raised his wand, pointing it at the cut. In his mind, he cast a nonverbal Healing spell, and the skin sewed itself up. He pointed to the dying merperson again, and this time the guards cleared the way for him immediately.

 

Hiccup swam quickly to the merperson’s side. The other merperson, who had been attempting to stop the bleeding, moved aside as well. Hiccup removed the seaweed binding, and he almost forgot himself by gasping. It looked like there were chunks of flesh missing from their side, almost reminiscent of a shark attack. He pressed his wand tip into the oozing flesh. The merperson moaned in response. Hiccup concentrated as hard as he could, using the nonverbal Healing spell over and over on each laceration. He couldn’t replace the missing flesh, just scabbing over the exposed musculature and bone. If he’d been a more experienced Healer, Hiccup thought ruefully, he might’ve been able to fix it completely.

 

When he’d done all he could and there was no more bleeding, Hiccup looked to the nearby merpeople. They’d been scrutinizing his work from a few feet away, and at his look they swam over. They lifted the panting and pale merperson (green around the gills, Gobber would say), and carried them away. Hiccup, satisfied that they would be cared for, turned back to his friends still tied to the statue.

 

Hiccup went to Astrid first, simply because she was nearer. He pointed his wand at her bindings, thinking Diffindo! The ropes were severed, and he had to act fast to catch her from falling forward. She was heavy, or Hiccup was simply very weak. He wondered if he could use magic to carry her, before remembering that Levitation only worked in air. It would have to be physical labor then.

 

 _Great, my favorite_ , Hiccup thought.

 

He hefted her over his shoulder, letting his back bear the weight. He swam slowly to the prong beside her. Jack’s head was lolling, and no bubbles rose from his open mouth. Hiccup had a moment of intense panic, then he forced it down. He needed to focus now. Hiccup used the same cutting spell on Jack’s bindings and the ropes fell away. Jack slumped, and Hiccup grabbed him by the arm. He nearly unbalanced Astrid in doing so. Gathering them both close, Hiccup kicked with his one leg and began his slow ascent.

 

He knew after the first meter he wasn’t going to make it. His arms were barely able to hold his friends’ dead weight, all his propulsion was from his right leg and his left knee. It was too slow, and Hiccup was expending too much energy. Soon he would run out of breath, the apparatus he devised unable to compensate for hyperventilating. His friends would sink and Hiccup would fail the challenge. Astrid would forgive him surely, but Jack...

 

Jack was floating out of his arm. Hiccup scrambled to catch him, until he realized Jack was not falling, he was being carried. On the other side of Jack was a merperson’s scaly features distorted into what Hiccup imagined was a smile. Another merperson rose beside him, and Hiccup gladly pushed Astrid into their arms. His muscles were on fire, and without his charges in his arms he lacked the motivation to keep swimming. Hiccup was falling back down gladly, watching his friends continue upwards. They would be okay.

 

Hiccup bumped softly against something that halted his sinking. He looked around. It was one of the guards, who had protected the injured merperson. The once nasty expression was replaced by warmth in their eyes. They were rising swiftly through the water, and Hiccup knew everything would be okay. Reaching out, he squeezed the merperson’s arm gently in gratitude. The merperson smiled.

 

They broke the surface and Hiccup blinked against the harsh light. Beside him he could see Astrid and Jack gasping for breath as they clung to their merpeople for support. Hiccup spat out his snorkel, catching it. He turned to the merperson still buoying him.

 

“Thank you.” Hiccup told them earnestly. The merperson inclined their head in understanding. Turning to their fellow merpeople, they screeched in Mermish, and the three humans were dragged towards the stands on the lake shore.

 

“Hiccup!” Astrid yelled through her panting. “What’s going on? Why are the mermaids...?”

 

“Uh, yeah,” Hiccup hedged, “I might’ve cheated my way through the second task.” The merpeople cackled collectively at that.

 

“Water.” Jack gasped, his eyes wide with horror. “The lake. I’m in the lake. Jenna...”

 

“I know.” Hiccup said softly, intensely sorrowful. This was a raw nerve he’d inadvertently exposed, a subject Jack rarely brought up. Hiccup reached out, just near enough to place his hand consolingly on Jack’s shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re not drowning. Hold on.”

 

The beach came closer and closer, until Jack and Astrid were able to wade on their own. Their two merpeople swam away, towards where the judges table was situated on a makeshift pier. Hiccup’s guard aided him until their tail was scraping the sandy lakebed.

 

“Let me.” Astrid broke in, ducking under him to support Hiccup’s left side. The merperson nodded at her before turning to look at Hiccup. They pulled something over their head, a necklace, Hiccup realized, adorned with sharp jagged teeth. They pressed the necklace into Hiccup’s hand.

 

“You don’t have to,” Hiccup said, hoping they’d understand, “You’ve already given me more than enough.” The merperson shook their head, clasping Hiccup’s fingers around the teeth. Something like awe burst in his chest.

 

“Say thanks.” Jack prodded him as he passed, stalking out of the water as fast as possible.

 

“Thank you.” Hiccup added, grinning at his new friend. The merperson returned the gesture, baring yellow teeth back at him. Then they swam away after their fellows.

 

“Wow.” Astrid murmured. “That’s a first. You love to break the mold, don’t you?” Hiccup shrugged, not knowing how to reply. He gazed towards the judges table where his father wore his usual stern expression. The other headmasters, Alvin and Madame Gothel, looked particularly smug. The Ministry representative, an old shrunken woman called Gothi, was conversing with the three merpeople. They were screeching and gesturing at Hiccup and, for some reason, the Durmstrang Champion, Savage. Gothi listened with a bland impartial nod.

 

“Come on, let’s go face my dad and see what my punishment is.” Hiccup sighed. “If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll be kicked out of the tournament.” Astrid helped Hiccup limp to the pier. Hiccup noted that it would be a nice moment, maybe even romantic, if they weren’t soaking wet and smelling like the lake.

 

The cheers that greeted Hiccup were still bizarre, even after his exposure to them after winning the first task. He would probably never be used to his peers treating him with anything more than derision. At least he knew enough to smile and wave now.

 

Astrid guided him to where Jack was huddled under a towel, Rapunzel and Merida pressed to his sides. They were comforting him and trying to warm him up as they cuddled. Hiccup winced at the obvious pain in Jack’s eyes. He still looked haunted, and Hiccup couldn’t blame him. If only it had been anything other than a lake. They sat beside the group, Hiccup stretching out his bad leg.

 

“I’m really sorry, Jack.” He muttered to his friend. “They should never have taken you.” Jack mutely shook his head.

 

“It doesn't make sense!” Rapunzel said, frustrated and trying to puzzle it out. “Astrid was your prize,” Both Hiccup and Astrid blushed, “and Savage had his sister Heather, so who was Jack-”

 

“Jack!” Everyone turned to look behind them at the unfamiliar voice. The Beauxbatons Champion was hovering awkwardly, gazing at Jack with longing and remorse. It was clear she was in distress, the Veela was looking unusually bird like, her platinum blond hair transitioning to grey silver feathers. Hiccup had never seen anything like it, that seamless blend of human and animal features.

 

“You!” Merida shouted, pointing an accusing finger her way. Toothiana flinched. “He was yours, wasn’t he? You left Jack down there!”

 

“I... I got bogged down.” Toothiana cried helplessly. “Grindylows… The more scared I was the more feathers, a-and I sank... I’m so sorry, Jack, I never...”

 

“Why?” Jack croaked, staring at the teenage girl. “Why did they pick me... For you?” Toothiana’s hands fluttered, and her pale skin flushed a delicate pink.

 

Rapunzel cleared her throat. “I think it’s kinda obvious, Jack?” She said.

 

“Oh.” Hiccup realized as he watched Toothiana bashfully avert her gaze.

 

“I, well, I wanted to ask you to the ball.” Toothiana confessed in a very small voice. “You, um, I heard you didn’t want to go. And I know that, you, uh, don't care about other schools, and with the tournament...” Jack was flushed now too, unusual for his complexion. Toothiana sighed, apparently brave enough to look him in the face now. She spoke very quickly. “I really like you, Jack. I know we don't know each other, but I can’t help it. It’s... Well, your hair, and your eyes, and your laugh, oh god and your teeth.” She sighed again, dreamily, making everyone not involved rather uncomfortable.

 

“That's, uh...” Jack shook his head, as if he was still waterlogged. “Look, Tooth, why don’t we try being friends first, okay?” He proposed magnanimously, offering his hand to shake. Immediately the Veela seemed to radiate happiness. Her feathers smoothed and her skin glowed. She took his hand and enthusiastically pumped it up and down.

 

Astrid laughed, a pleased sound that turned Hiccup’s head. She had some seaweed sticking out from her hair. Without thinking about it, he plucked it, hand coming to hover by her ear. She was taken aback at first, but her expression quickly broke into a grin. Astrid leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. Hiccup managed to stutter his lips briefly under hers before she withdrew. They were still soaked and smelly, and Hiccup was acutely aware of his trouser leg hanging over empty space, but he had never experienced a more perfect moment.

 

Nothing, not even the judges explaining that Hiccup was being awarded points for going above and beyond his duties to save a life, not even becoming the frontrunner due to Savage brutalizing the merperson with his transfigured shark head out of rage, not even his father’s speculative expression as he watched Hiccup being lifted up by the crowd of Hogwarts students, could compare to the feeling of being kissed by the girl he liked and surrounded by the friends he loved.


End file.
